What do you pay for child car/preschool? How to save?

[crisi]

I don't have any children yet, but wow, daycare is expensive in some parts of the country. My cousin has my Goddaugther in a fantastic daycare/preschool and she pays $135 per week.

Since you don't have kids yet, you can do some planning. A lot of new parents are shocked to find out the cost of daycare - after they are pregnant and are looking for infant care. Then then end up making really hard choice about working or staying home, and what to cut from the budget to fit in either choice. Or scrambling up child care that is free (which is great if you can get quality daycare for free - if your Mom WANTS to watch your kids and does a good job, that's wonderful - if Mom HAS to watch your kids so you can make ends meet, not so good). Or switching careers to work nights. If you live in the same area as your cousin, make sure those rates are normal for the area. There is HUGE regional variation.

 

[ilovebassets]

We pay about $335 per child per week. So with two kids, it's about $34k a year. It's an outrageous sum but it's 5 days a week for up to twelve hours a day (we never actually have them there that long but they are open 7-7) of what we consider to be excellent educational childcare. so worth every penny to us. Luckily we are in a position to afford it at this time. But if we had another child, we'd have to reconsider our options.

 

[travelgirl06]

We pay about $1300/month to have two in daycare, our center is one of the more affordable in our area. Once we were pregnant with #2 I did some serious daycare research because multiplying tuition by two was intimidating to say the least. Our old center was larger and more "academically" based and would be about $5k more a year! We may go for #3 down the line, but I want to get ODD to kindergarten first because paying for 3 in full time daycare would stretch the budget. As others have said, tuition varies a LOT depending on where you live and the type of daycare.

our current center is smaller center with a more homey feel, it also has more Holday closures that we have to work with. Yes, my 3-year-old may not be getting the hardcore academics, BUT she is in a great, mixed age (3-5) class with an amazing, nurturing teacher. She's learning her letters, learning to count, learning some basic sign language, etc. and most importantly learning to cooperate and listen while being challenged.

I'm honestly a lot happier with the girls in the smaller center because EVERY teacher knows both of my girls and I get to talk to their teachers almost every day (due to early drop-offs/late pick-ups I wouldn't always see DD's teacher at the larger center). I do try to supplement the academics a little at home (basic math as we cook, discussing letters we see on signs, planting seedlings/discussing plants, and pretty much anything STEM-y that I can come up with), but just for fun and integrated into our activities - they have plenty of time for school down the line.

 

[kymom99]

Our state (KY) has free preschool for qualifying "at risk" children. My son qualified because he is introverted, so labeled socially delayed. He also had a fine motor delay. Neither of these things were serious at all, but they qualified him. He spent half days 4 days a week in preschool and the other half of the days he went to a private sitter. my husband was off on Fridays back then and kept him one day a week. He loved his sitter way better than his daycare, and I paid her $15 a day at first and eventually $20 a day. She was worth way more, but she loved what she did and had a few other kids, so that's all she asked for. The daycare he went to before he got into preschool was very good, but he was overwhelmed in the afternoons when free play time turned into a bit of a free for all. I think I paid about $120 a week, but that was 15 years ago.

Now he is in a private high school, where I pay $6000+ a year for tuition. He does well in school and the expectations are high, so I guess the choices we made worked for him.

 

[NotUrsula]

Pretty much the only thing you can do is take advantage of a childcare FSA if you can; though it won't touch the cost of care for one child, let alone for 2. That $5k per family annual limit really needs to be raised.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Part of my job includes directing a child development center. We are a full-time facility, open 7:30-6pm daily, with minimal holiday closings.

You can't really compare blanket child care costs; there are too many variables.

A non-profit center (which is what we are) typically can afford to offer lower rates but only after they have established themselves. The initial cost to open a center is HUGE. The licensing requirements that we follow even after opening are mostly unseen by parents yet very costly on a regular basis to maintain. We certainly aren't making bank on the program. Since we're a non-profit, all funds go back into our program.

Just some variables to consider when comparing:

What education level do your teachers have? In my state, a faith based center has NO education requirements. Meaning, I'm required to hire someone who's 18 and literate. That's ALL. A disgrace if someone actually follows it! Star rated centers have higher education requirements but not by much.

How much continuing education do they participate in?
Are they CPR/SIDS/First Aid trained?
What is their pay scale for teachers?
What benefits do their teachers get?
What is the turnover like? Both with teachers AND families?
What is the ratio and classroom size for each age group?
How often are supplies, toys, and equipment replaced?
How much of the resources will my child be able to use? Or are teachers limited on consumable resources due to cost?
What outdoor space are they allowed to use and what does it consist of?
What quality of food are they getting?
What kind of curriculum are they using?
What kind of benchmarks are being met at each developmental stage?
What is their sanitation and licensing rating?
What is included in the cost, and what do you have to provide?

Some of my children spend more time with us than anyone else in their life. The quality of program directly impacts their physical, emotional, spiritual, and educational development so it's my top priority. In addition, a lecture I went to last week stated that our kindergartners today are equivalent to a 2nd grader 30 years ago in regards to educational expectations. They are leaving our center and walking into 2nd grade. How are we preparing them? I'm anti overly structured programs but do expect developmentally appropriate structure, classroom management, center based activities, enrichment programs, etc. Perhaps similar to what others have said that a preschool offers, a quality daycare/child development center will do the same.

For me, I've found that investment in my staff is the key. Most of them have been with the program for 10+ years and they attend the birthday parties, graduations, baptisms, etc for these children years after they leave us. The families consider them an extension of their family and it pays off for all involved. I've been in centers that were the opposite (high turnover, little parent connection with teachers, low expectations) and it's just a different beast. The children were safe and minimal standards were being followed but it wasn't best practice IMO.

So all that novel to say, the only way to truly compare costs is to compare similar centers in your city. And if you are in a city like mine, don't wait a minute before looking for infant care! It's very hard to find here and I've had many parents wait too late to get in anyplace and scramble. I'm usually the first person to find out someone's pregnant - even before their parents! - because they are already touring centers to get on wait lists at 6 weeks pregnant.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

Well this thread at least has taught my I am not alone and my cost is lower than some. At least we are all learning to budget without this money- then when they go to real school we will all get "raises"

Ha! My little guy has an October birthday, so will be in daycare 6 years. in 6 years, I'll also have put 2 kids through college. I don't expect we'll be vacationing at all for 6 years, but we sure plan on taking a big one after this extremely expensive time period in our lives!

 

[JulieODC]

Our DD is in full-day preschool/daycare, and we pay $340/week right now. We are expecting baby #2 next month, and full time care for that baby will be ~$400-430/week. The total combined makes me a little sick. I can't wait until DD goes to kindergarten!

There really isn't a way to cut down on the costs per se, but we do take advantage of the childcare FSA (not much, but it's something!).

 

[jenm2878]

Right now we pay around $850/mth for my three year old, and I'm due with our second any day. He'll be another $900-ish a month, so we're looking at around $1,800/mth. Thankfully it's only two years before my oldest will be in full day kindergarten. We've looked around a little, and in the area we could potentially save $150-$200 month elsewhere, but we love his daycare. My husband is next door to him, his teachers are great, and he is flourishing there.

 

[girli565]

My job, I'm a high school teacher, runs an early childhood development academy so they offer prek to the staff at about $13/day or $260/month for the whole month. My son will be starting next year. Its a great program, run like a montessori, and a great price! The teacher who runs it also brings in 11th and 12th graders to help and learn so the kids get exposed to different teaching styles.

 

[Dugette]

I'm in Minnesota, where we have very high daycare costs (some of the highest in the country) relative to not-nearly-as-high income/general cost of living. Lucky us.

We have our daughter in an in-home daycare and she's been $190/week the whole time (2 years old now). The in-homes we interviewed with ranged from that up to $250/week. The centers are twice as much and most people I know pay somewhere around $1600+/month for one child in a center.

Some of the in-homes offer preschool as part of the daycare, but ours does not. We've considered the available options and are leaning towards doing a PT church-run preschool, which would be a couple hundred/month on top of what we are already paying (she'd spend the rest of the time at the normal in-home daycare). We've got some time to decide, though, as she won't start Kindergarten until she's almost 6, which delays when she can start most preschool programs too.

A second kid in daycare would literally take ALL of our "spare" money (i.e. vacation money, especially).

 

[AZMermaid]

I live in the greater Phoenix area. My kids go to a preschool/daycare. There are kids who go strictly 9-12 for preschool and others (like mine) who are there full day (7:00-5:30 is the open hours, mine go from about 7:45-4:15). My daughter just turned 3 and is charged as a 2 year old (they stay in the class for the whole school year, don't age up per say) and my son is 4 and in the young 4s class, which costs the same as pre-k, which he will do next year. This is a smaller facility. They just won an award and are now basically full, but they keep their limits 1-2 kids below state limits. My son has 11 kids total, but it varies day to day from 7-11. If there are more than 7, she has an assistant. My daughter has as many as 9 there on one day, but over 6, she has an assistant. My daughter goes 3 days a week, my son 5.

I pay $337 a week for the two of them. On weeks where they both go 5 days, I pay $395. This is about average for this area. I am an elementary school teacher and I bring home about $150 a week after childcare. It stinks.

My kids have been here since they were toddlers. My son had only 3 kids in his class and my daughter had 4-5. It was wonderful to have such small groups. The year my daughter was a baby, we went to the district run daycare (our school did not take infants at the time). My daughter's baby room had 10 kids with 2-3 teachers and my son's 2 year old room had 26 kids with 4 teachers. 26 kids is ridiculous. It was cheaper, but way further and he was a number. We were so happy to switch back to a place where I know they are loved and valued. The infant room at the district place was great- so wonderful. So, the teachers make a big difference.

 

[tvguy]

I live in the greater Phoenix area. My kids go to a preschool/daycare. There are kids who go strictly 9-12 for preschool and others (like mine) who are there full day (7:00-5:30 is the open hours, mine go from about 7:45-4:15). My daughter just turned 3 and is charged as a 2 year old (they stay in the class for the whole school year, don't age up per say) and my son is 4 and in the young 4s class, which costs the same as pre-k, which he will do next year. This is a smaller facility. They just won an award and are now basically full, but they keep their limits 1-2 kids below state limits. My son has 11 kids total, but it varies day to day from 7-11. If there are more than 7, she has an assistant. My daughter has as many as 9 there on one day, but over 6, she has an assistant. My daughter goes 3 days a week, my son 5.

I pay $337 a week for the two of them. On weeks where they both go 5 days, I pay $395. This is about average for this area. I am an elementary school teacher and I bring home about $150 a week after childcare. It stinks.

You could switch jobs. From the pay you are mentioning I am guessing you are not working in a public school since best I can tell they make about double what you do.
http://www1.salary.com/AZ/Phoenix/Teacher-Elementary-School-salary.html

 

[AZMermaid]

I work in a large public district school. I bring home just under $1000 every two weeks and am an 8th year teacher. I get no say in what is taken out for my pension and that is a big amount so I will see that benefit eventually. I don't get anything taken out that is not "mandatory." I also "make" more when we consider the expense of adding me to my husband's insurance. I knew going in it wasn't a high paying job it is just tough with little ones. But, I chose to have them too!

 

[kmb584]

My daughter is in Kindergarten this year, but I paid $1040/mo when she was in preschool. I needed before and after care so I paid an extra $10/day for those and the cost included lunch and two snacks. This summer she'll be going to the same preschool's summer camp and as rates have gone up it'll be $1250/mo plus any extras (they do baking and art classes, field trips, etc).

 

[tvguy]

I work in a large public district school. I bring home just under $1000 every two weeks and am an 8th year teacher. I get no say in what is taken out for my pension and that is a big amount so I will see that benefit eventually. I don't get anything taken out that is not "mandatory." I also "make" more when we consider the expense of adding me to my husband's insurance. I knew going in it wasn't a high paying job it is just tough with little ones. But, I chose to have them too!

Yeah, I put 15% into retirement and have for the last 36 years.......it's a big bite out of each check.....but hopefully DW and I will be able to retire early in 6 years because of it. Our full SS retirement age is 66.5 years, but it sure seems like a lot of people retire early these days, sometimes even before age 60. We won't be that young when we retire..

 

[Tiffylv]

.

 

[crisi]

I'm in Minnesota, where we have very high daycare costs (some of the highest in the country) relative to not-nearly-as-high income/general cost of living. Lucky us.

We have our daughter in an in-home daycare and she's been $190/week the whole time (2 years old now). The in-homes we interviewed with ranged from that up to $250/week. The centers are twice as much and most people I know pay somewhere around $1600+/month for one child in a center.

Some of the in-homes offer preschool as part of the daycare, but ours does not. We've considered the available options and are leaning towards doing a PT church-run preschool, which would be a couple hundred/month on top of what we are already paying (she'd spend the rest of the time at the normal in-home daycare). We've got some time to decide, though, as she won't start Kindergarten until she's almost 6, which delays when she can start most preschool programs too.

A second kid in daycare would literally take ALL of our "spare" money (i.e. vacation money, especially).

We are ranked 11th in the country for per capital income. 4th however for daycare costs (licensed daycare here is well regulated and things like child staff ratios and what meals and snacks look like are stronger than they are a lot of places). We are the 28th most expensive state to live in overall. So in the end, statistically, we have it pretty good. (Airfare from here is ridiculous though).

As I said, mine were center kids who are now high schoolers, and two was $1600 back then - so it isn't shocking. But I know plenty of people who spend that in hockey, skiing, dance and music.

 

[jerseygirl82]

We pay just under $1000 per month for our almost 4 year old at a center. (it hurts to type that out) She will be moving to the pre-kindergarten room this spring when she turns 4. They have a similar curriculum to other preschools in our area, but are open from 6:30 am -6:30 pm, which I need. I am happy with the center, so I don't plan to move her. I also don't worry much about academic programs for 4 year olds. I think it is more important for kids to play and learn how to cope with other kids at that age.

As I was typing this, I realized that we will be paying another $1000 starting in April for our baby to go the same daycare. Ouch! Daycare plus after-school care for our oldest will be close to what we pay on our mortgage.

We pay $975/month and her center has a wonderful academic program - she is learning to add, tell time, and speak basic Spanish. At 4 and on her way into kindergarten next year I worry very much about a strong academic program.

 

[ShayBells]

My DS6 is in catholic school it's around 3600 a year and after care is 4$/hr. During summer is when I have problems but thankfully my boss lets me work from home two days a week so I don't have to pay full time. He does a y program three days a week. Last year it was around 22 a day I have no clue yet what it'll cost this year have yet to find out and I'm a little afraid lol.